Posted December 5, 2021.


CHAPTER 11: THE SWORD OF ARTHUR

On the Matter of the Sword of Excalibur

King Arthur had many swords. His most famous, however, was the sword of Excalibur. One of the most famed swords in the world, it has the power to destroy any enemy it comes across.

This sword is said to have been returned to the Lady of the Lake when Arthur's knight dropped it in the Lake. However, it still gleams as a relic to those who know how to use it.

– From the Book of Fay


Tintagel Castle, United Kingdom

Musa stared around in the hidden city, taking it slowly in. She let out a gasp as she saw what was ahead of her.

There was a round table, with men seated around it. All of them were laughing cheerfully. Then one of them gasped in surprise as he saw Musa.

"A traveler has come to us," he gasped. The men bowed down towards her.

"Um – okay," Musa said awkwardly. "Who are you?"

"We are the descendants of King Arthur," one man answered. "For generations, we have been keeping this land safe from those who may wish to harm it. We have preserved all of King Arthur's history. And now, we see that a traveler has come to us." He bowed. "How may we help you?"

"I am looking for an artifact," Musa answered, "one that will help defend me and the Last Fairy on Earth from the Wizards of the White Circle."

Immediately, the atmosphere changed. The men stared at her in terror, looking alarmed. "The Wizards are back?" one gasped.

"It cannot be," the man whispered. "Are you sure of this?"

Musa laughed sardonically. "They're probably ambushing my friends right this moment." She shook her head. "Do you have the relic I seek?"

"Well, there is one," the man answered, "but no one has been able to touch it, much less wield it. It is Arthur's sacred sword, Excalibur."

"Where is it?" Musa asked. The chief frowned.

"It was once stored in the land of Avalon," he said, "but we have now brought it here for safekeeping." He let out a sigh. "I will show it to you."

"Thank you," Musa said, following the chief down the tunnel.

Roxy stood with the Winx, her arms crossed. Hours seemed to have passed since Musa had headed into the tunnel. She sniffed and turned around, glaring at the ground.

"I have an idea," Flora said, sitting on the ground. "While we wait, why don't we meditate?"

"No." Roxy stood up so fast that Artu jumped off her lap in surprise. "I'm not meditating."

"Why not?" Flora asked. "My bisabuela taught me how to meditate from the moment I was a small child, so that I would always know how to find peace for" –

"Meditation is torture!" Roxy snapped. "My dad made me do it when I was little. I'm not doing it." She let out a sigh, remembering the day he'd decided to send her to anger-management class…

"When I paid for all of those self-defense lessons," he had snarled, "I didn't intend for you to use it to try and hurt other people."

It was just after her second suspension from Gardenia Elementary School; this time, she'd been suspended for two weeks. Roxy sat surly her chair, her arms crossed. Next to her, five-month-old Artu wagged his tail, oblivious to the fight threatening to break out.

"Well, maybe those people shouldn't be mean to me," she retorted. "Maybe you should tell them to stop!"

"That gives you no right to beat them up!" her father snarled. "You should never use physical violence to respond to verbal taunts! If I beat up every jerk of a customer, I wouldn't get any business!" At the sound of his escalating voice, Artu whimpered.

"Well, I'm not you!" Roxy shouted. She knew she was fighting a losing fight, but she didn't care. "They shouldn't call me names! They shouldn't laugh at me all the time!"

"Are you in kindergarten?" her father snapped. "Haven't we been through this already, Roxy? Let people talk! If they're going to be rude to you, just ignore them! They'll get tired quickly enough!" He let out a sigh. "I didn't raise you to be like this, Roxy."

It became silent. Artu was now quiet, obviously detecting the change-in-mood. Roxy's father let out a sigh.

"You leave me no choice," he said. "I'm going to withdraw you from Gardenia Elementary and send you to a Catholic girls' school. They'll whip you into shape there. And I'm signing you up for anger-management classes."

"What?" Roxy seethed. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"In place of your self-defense classes!" her father added. "I believe you've progressed quite enough in that field, young lady!"

Roxy hated being called "young lady". "I'm not going to those classes!"

"You don't have a choice," her father said coldly. "I will make sure you never hurt another person again."

Like that worked so well, Roxy thought scornfully, thinking back on those classes. The anger-management had been a dud, and she'd blown up quite a few times there. Meditation was even worse – she'd been forced to sit still and listen to her own breathing, as if that helped anything.

"I'm not doing it," she declared. She gazed down the ravine, and then she froze.

The four Wizards were headed towards them, cackling. The Winx immediately drew their weapons, glaring at the Wizards. Roxy groaned, cowering behind Musa.

"Ready to fight?" Ogron jeered. "This time, we'll make sure we win."

"You'll never win!" Bloom shouted. "As long as there is breath in our bodies, we will fight!"

"So be it," Gantlos cackled. The Winx gasped as he unleashed a storm, one that was ready to destroy them all.


The Sword loomed ahead of Musa, a beautiful, white Sword that was nestled in a rock. She let out a gasp, staring at its hilt.

The hilt was covered in gold and rubies. The white blade seemed to be made out of diamond. She turned towards the man, who nodded grimly.

"This is our Sword," he said. "You must go nearer to it in order for it to work."

Cautiously, Musa stumbled towards the Sword. She gingerly placed her hand on the hilt, hoping it wouldn't be too painful –

Electricity zapped through her, and she let out a horrified shriek. She tried to remove her hand, but it wouldn't budge. The electricity shot through her, filling her with pain like she'd never known before. Then, quite suddenly, she blacked out, her eyes closing in pain.

She opened them, staring around. She had been transported to a battlefield, where men fought each other, rage in their eyes. She stared as she saw King Arthur on the battlefield, holding the mighty sword Excalibur. She gasped, staring in amazement at the power that shined through the battlefield –

"Will you answer the Sword's call?" a female voice rang in her air. "Will you fight for the honor of Camelot?"

Musa nodded. "Yes," she said, her eyes determined. Then the vision faded, and she opened her eyes.

She was holding the Sword in her left hand, which was her dominant hand. The chief gazed at her in amazement, nodding his head.

"Incredible," he said. "You certainly have great power." He nodded to her. "The Sword is yours."

"Thanks," Musa grinned, "but I'd better get going. My friends have a tendency to get themselves in trouble." She headed out towards the end of the tunnel, out towards the light.


"You'll regret this!" Tecna shouted, holding up her Stone.

Roxy watched fearfully as the Wizards battled against the Winx, nothing but hatred in their eyes. They shot white darts at them, but the Winx dodged each blast.

They're much stronger than they were before, Roxy realized with relief. That's good. She was about to slip away, now that the Winx were distracted, when suddenly, Ogron grabbed her arm.

"Men, let us activate the White Circle!" he shouted. Roxy tried to pull away in fear, but Ogron was too strong. She gasped as the power of the White Circle came over her, and she squeezed her eyes shut fearfully –

"Don't you dare!"

The White Circle dissipated, and she stared around in shock. Musa was standing before her, holding Excalibur in her hands. She slashed at Ogron, knocking him down. Grabbing Roxy's arm, she hightailed her straight towards the helicopter, pulling her inside.

The Winx followed. Tecna revved the engine, flying the helicopter into the air at the maximum speed. Musa smiled at the others.

"I found the sword of Excalibur," she said. "Arthur's sword." She held it to her chest.

Roxy knew all about the Arthurian legends, of course. Her father had told her the stories since she was a small child; she knew everything. She stared at the Sword.

From what she'd read, Excalibur exactly matched the description of the Sword in the Stone. It shined the same color, and was filled with the same amount of power. She let out a groan, staring at the ground.

This is it. There was only so much of this magic business that she could take. She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head.

I'm gonna find a way to leave. She had to leave the Winx, otherwise she'd lose her sanity as well. She gazed at Artu, her expression determined.

I'm gonna get out of this trap…


Next chapter:

Midwinter's Eve arrives.

The Winx go to Baston's farm.

Roxy sees the Black Circle.